A Grandfathers Wish HarvestMon
by Yaegashi Yoshiki
Summary: This is the story of Harvest Moon (Play station version) with your favorite Digimon characters. Takeru is the main character. Join him on his quest to refurbish his O-Jii-sans neglected farm. this will eventually be Yaoi, if it ever gets that far.
1. A Grabdfathers Request

It had been over five years since he had last been here. Back then, the fields had been filled with rolling wheat and soft grasses for the cattle. The orchard near the farm had stretched beyond his line of sight, and the townsfolk had been happy and content. Now he stared at the dilapidation that had over taken the once successful land. The fields that had once held large ripe tomatoes and countless ears of corn now lay fallow as rocks and weeds dotted the surface. He sighed softly as he remembered the first time he had arrived on this farm. How he had played with the various animals. How a flock of chickens had nearly pecked him to death after he had harassed one too much. He remembered playing with the local children, and how he had formed deep bonds with several of them. He also remembered the fresh pain of hearing about his O-Jii-san's death, and his odd request that his youngest grandson should come to the old farm and rebuild it. The old man standing next to him continued to babble on about how he would only have three years here to rebuild the farm then as he waved goodbye, he was left alone with his new life.  
  
Takeru Takashi stood beside the small shack like structure he would soon call his home, hefting a small pack on his back carrying the few things he had decided to take with him. He scanned the crumbling barn and chicken coop, cocking his ears trying to find any sign of animal life. As he listened, he heard a soft barking, and watched as a small dog ran forward, leaping into the young boys arms. It had a strange orange and white coloration to its fur, and seemed to immediately take to Takeru. "Pata- chan," The young boy murmured as he realized that this small furry bundle was the same puppy he had played with so long ago. He chuckled softly as he received a loving lick on his cheek.  
  
Takeru placed Pata onto the ground as he slowly moved over to the abandoned "house" that stood near him. Once he entered he relived it was much larger then it looked, as it had room for a television, cabinet for tools, and a small bed and table. This is more then I expected at least, Takeru thought as he tossed his small bag onto the bed and took out the workbag that hung on a nearby peg. He found it had six pockets, three on each side, and three specially lined so as not to crush produce. He smiled at the ingenuity of the design. He sighed softly as he began to walk around the room looking into every nook and cranny. He was actually surprised to find a small wallet filled with 5,000 yen under one of the many stacks of boxes in the corner of the small hut. Well, at least now I can afford some basic seeds.   
  
Takeru finally decided he had had enough random searching, and instead walked over to the small tool chest. Inside he found five basic pieces of equipment. A watering can, a hoe, an axe, a hammer, and a small scythe. Each piece of equipment looked almost new as they lay glittering in the small pile. Takeru quickly sifted through and picked out the hoe, axe, and hammer, preparing to head out side and refurbish the fields.  
  
---------(Two long hours later)---------  
  
Takeru finally managed to clear out enough space for about three small fields for planting. He hefted the small hoe against his shoulder as he surveyed the now cleared land. He felt a small amount of satisfaction as he noticed how well he had managed to clean the area. He sighed softly as he heard a loud voice calling to him from his front gate. He already recognized the mayor's slightly nasal voice as it rung out across his field. Takeru ran quickly over to the smaller old man. "Ohiyo Takeru-chan! I was wondering if you'd like to take a small tour around the city with me? I usually make the rounds around the city every mourning, and this will allow you to pick up some seed from the market if you haven't already," The elder man exclaimed with a proud smile. He must take a lot of pride in his work, Takeru thought as he simply nodded his affirmation to the old man. The mayor clapped his hands happily before begging to walk off down the rough dirt path that lead away from Takeru's new farm.  
  
They wandered a few feet down the path before branching off to a path running down to their left. Takeru looked to the side, watching as a small chicken farm came in view. He whistled softly as he counted the nearly twenty chickens sitting in a coop near the entrance to the farm. The mayor turned to him quickly. "This is our local poultry farm. In here you'll find everything you need to start raising your own chickens.... although I don't recommend it till you have enough feed to go at least ten days without having to restock. Inside you'll find three people who came together when the farm was threatened by closing. The two children in the house are about two years older then you. Their names are Koushirou, who manages the poultry farm almost exclusively, and Mimi, who is the daughter of the former owner who left to find medicine for Mimi's ailing O-Kaa-san."  
  
The mayor then continued down the small pathway towards another larger farm. Takeru watched as the many cows and sheep continued to graze on the light smattering of grass in the surrounding field. He also noticed the odd pig moving amongst the larger animals. He watched as one of the pigs darted away from a particularly agitated cow. "This is where you should go to find any livestock you need. They sell everything from cows to pigs, and even the equipment you need to take care of them. If you ever have major problems visit this farm as the elder owner knew you're O-Jii-san very well, " With this, the mayor motioned for Takeru to follow him again, and they turned around and headed back up the way they had come.  
  
As Takeru walked the dusty patch he witnessed a strange fight, it seemed like the two people working at the poultry farm where in a small domestic dispute, as the shorter boy was nearly screaming at the tall girl. He could only pick out a few words as the two teens fought furiously over something. Takeru managed to gleam that the fight was over a recently deceased chicken, and that the taller girl, Mimi had left the chicken coup open allowing a stray dog to enter and kill "pon" the chicken. Takeru shivered gently, as he watched Mimi run off in tears.  
  
Finally, Takeru and the elder mayor made it too there next destination. The mayor gestured wildly as he motioned to the two buildings in front of them. "This building on the left is the smithy. It's manned by an old man named Sabrai, and a younger boy named Yamato. The two came into contact a few years ago when Yamato's father believed he had become too soft, so he sent him to his old friend Sabrai. The two should come in handy during you're attempts at raising the farm back to its former glory. Next door we have the winery. They usually only operate in the afternoon, and usually they don't sell to children, but in this village, we don't really mind if you guys get drunk.... so long as you continue to follow the law. The two people here lost their daughter recently when she eloped with an older man and moved away from home. They tend to come to the festivals still, even though it dredges up harsh memories of the past. The elder man tends to become drunk by midday in his grief so I would watch out for him. However his wife Manna is very kind. They tend to seek help in the fall so if you could lend a hand... I am sure they would appreciate it."  
  
As they continued onwards, they neared a strange double building with a sign reading "toshoukan" on it (Translation: library). As they approached the building, a small brown haired green eyed youth came running out of the building on the right, and ran towards the second building. In his rush, he failed to notice the two men walking along, and accidentally plowed into Takeru and the mayor. The small boy gave a slight yelp of surprise as he fell head first towards the small cobbled road. Takeru moved in a blur and captured the small boy before he hurt himself on the stone pathway.  
  
"Well... Iori.... late to work again?" The mayor chuckled as he helped the now shaking boy up onto his feet. Takeru looked at the younger boy for a few moments before helping the two males get dusted off. Takeru instantly began to notice the younger boy's graced actions. It seemed to Takeru that the smaller boy must have been raised in a very high-class family. His ideas where however dashed, as a tall gruff looking man appeared outside the front door of Iori's home. "Musuko-chan! Watch where you're going!" "Gomen Tou-san!" The younger boy yelled back as he righted himself and dusted his tan pants off. He bowed to both men, and then rushed forward into the library. Just as he was closing the door, the mayor yelled out, "Iori-chan! I'd like you to meet Takeru Takashi! " The smaller boy nodded quickly, before shouting a polite hello, and slamming the door to the library behind him. Takeru chuckled softly as he thought about the odd boy.  
  
They wandered past the next house, stopping briefly to say hello to an elderly woman sitting out on the stoop, watching a small boy named Stu play with the spring insects. As they passed the next house, Takeru watched as a tall brown haired man in a police outfit came bursting out the door. The mayor waved the man over and Takeru was soon standing before the local police force.... all one of it. "Takeru-chan, I'd like you to met Taichi, our loyal police force here. He inherited the duty from my son Harris before he moved away." "Good to meet you Takeru-chan.... We should get along fine, just as long as you don't break any laws, " The smiling man said before bowing sharply and continuing on with his "patrol". Takeru watched Taichi leave as he wondered as to why the small town would even need a police officer since everyone knew each other quite well. As he thought this, another man exited the building, and walked over to where Takeru and the mayor where still standing. "Takeru-chan, I'd like you to met Kano, he came here a few months ago to study the "artistic value" of livestock." The strange man merely bowed sharply before walking off towards a tall building in the distance.  
  
The next two buildings they passed where the market and the clinic. As they passed by the market, Takeru asked the mayor if they could go inside for a few moments. After getting the mayors approval, Takeru pushed the small door open. The market was filled with the familiar smell of produce and seeds and seemed to radiate a friendly atmosphere. As Takeru began to pass by the many bags of seeds out for display, a young brown haired girl exited the small side door and approached him. The mayor bowed shortly and then turned to regard Takeru. "This is Hikari, she helps her father run this store, and is actually Taichi's O-Mouto-chan.. although they haven't really spoken much since Tai decided to take over Harris's job." The young girl bowed quickly, then flashed Takeru what would be most accurately called a sharks smile (term for the smile used by a car dealer, or other evil malicious salespeople { I used to sell knives door to door so I do know that is part of the training}). "It's a pleasure to meet you Takeru-kun.... and what can I get you this morning?"  
  
Takeru only smiled back in return as he paced the shelves, investigating each of the bags of seed and picking out four large sized sacks. "I'll take these please... and also, if you had any kind of packaged food for meals, I'd like one of those too." The young girl merely nodded as she took the four bags up to the store's front counter and weighed each one. She made a quick scribble down on a notepad beside her, then went into the back room, returning with a rather large sack marked "perishable". She set the package down and then wrapped it along with the seeds up into a small bundle. She handed this to Takeru then handed him a small paper bill. " otal comes to 4,500 yen please," Hikari said sweetly as she held her hand out expectantly. Takeru reluctantly fished out the wallet he had found, and handed over the money to the still smiling girl. After receiving his change, Takeru turned to leave. "Oh yes," Hikari suddenly exclaimed as she rushed past him and went to a shelve near the entrance.  
  
Hikari returned to Takeru's side a few moments later holding a small device. "This is you're mapping unit, it will draw a map of the entire area when you press this button. It also allows you to see a birds eye view of you're entire ranch! Just press these two buttons together and the map will display a map showing you what areas you have cleared from the farm, and what you have planted as well. "Takeru sighed gently as he reached into his pocket and retrieved the small wallet again. "How much?" He asked in a melancholy tone. "Oh! Don't worry, they're free. Our store gives them to any newcomer as a kind of welcoming gift, " Hikari said as she proceeded to strap the strange device onto Takeru's arm.  
  
With a wave to the still smiling Hikari, the two men continued on their way, stopping in front of the clinic. "This here is the clinic. It's run by a pair of medical students, one named Jyou, and the other named Miyako. If you ever get sick you should visit here just in case, "With this, the mayor continued down the path, towards a small church. "This is Pastor Carter's church. The pastor is a nice man... if not a little bit odd."  
  
As the sun began to cross the sky, fitting into the noon position, the mayor finally led Takeru to their last destination. "This is Doug's place, our local inn slash bar slash restaurant. It's run by Doug, and his daughter Sora. She's a bit of a tomboy but she's very kind, and would be willing to help anyone in need. So... that's our village. I will leave you to your work now as I am sure you are anxious to get to it," With this, the mayor waved goodbye as Takeru turned towards his home.  
  
---------( Three hours of back breaking work later)--------  
  
Takeru watered the last batch of seeds carefully as he watched the sun begin its downward slide towards the beach nearby. He smiled as he thought about everything he had managed to accomplish on only his first day of farm life. He had successfully cleared a large patch of land, and then he had managed to meet half the townsfolk of his new village. He had also managed to get enough food to last him a few weeks, along with enough seed to plant in his newly cleared land. Takeru sighed happily as he trekked his way into his new home. He switched on the TV for a moment, and after checking to make sure the weather would be clear tomorrow, Takeru slowly crawled into bed. "I'm never going to get used to this much work," Takeru muttered as his exhausted body slowly drifted off.  
  
A/N: Okay... the reason I decided to write this was because I have loved the harvest moon series since I was little, and I felt it was odd that I had never seen any fan fiction about it. I decided to rectify that. Also, here for your ease of use, is a list of the replaced characters.  
  
Hm-DM crossover char list.  
  
Mary (librarian's daughter)= Iori  
  
Gray/sabrai's grandson= Yamato  
  
Rick= Koushirou  
  
Popuri (daughter of the chicken farmer)= Mimi  
  
Anne (inn keepers daughter)=Sora  
  
Elle (clinic girl)=Miyako  
  
Karen=Hikari  
  
Won= Ken  
  
Cliff=Daisuke  
  
Kai=Willis  
  
Harris=Tai  
  
Doctor=Jyou.  
  
Also please note that Ken won't appear till chapter two since Won appears in the second day.  
  
Yoshiki. 


	2. Blue Flowers and Yellow People

A/N: In response to reviewer () {I/E. he/she left the name section blank} the version I am basing this fic on is the play station version not the N64 version since I have never played the N64 version. The characters were changed in between versions. Also.... I am guessing you have never read anything I have done since you requested Takari? Suffice it to say, this will most likely be Yaoi in the end (If Takeru ever gets to the point where he is dating ANYONE.... that would be far into the fic since it would be far into the game.) Also, I plan to do only select days, not thirty days per month (I.E. you will not be getting thirty chapters devoted solely to spring.... that would be insanity... pure and simple) Anyways, on with the farming fun!  
  
Takeru woke up groggily the next day, staring at the small clock that read five thirty on it's shiny metal display (he has to cook remember? Thus he wakes up a half hour before the game would) He groaned inwardly as he hauled his sore body out from under the sheets. His legs buckled on his initial attempt at getting up, and only after three more tries did he manage to stand. Sighing out loud, Takeru moved stiffly over to the small cabinet where he stored his food packet. He picked out a can of prepackaged food, and then went to his bag to retrieve a small kerosene stove. Fifteen minutes later he was enjoying a bland meal of canned meat with toast.  
  
Takeru's eyes tried to focus to the morning sun as he finally emerged out of his makeshift home. The second he stepped out he heard his name being yelled. Looking over, he saw Taichi running towards him. The taller brown haired man finally reached Takeru's side, and paused for a few moments to catch his breath. "Takeru-san! I just got word of a suspicious character coming in from the south part of town. If you see a man about your height, with bluish-black hair, and sunglasses please stop by and tell me, we want to make sure he isn't anyone dangerous," with this Tai turned to leave, failing to notice the figure approaching Takeru from the other side of the farm.  
  
The man was dressed in an odd uniform comprised of entirely yellow material; save for the jet-black sunglasses he wore. The man gave a small wave to Takeru as he finally reached his side, offering a friendly hand in greeting. "Ohiyou Gozaimasu... my names Ken. I am a sales man who specializes in... 'antiquities', and I was hoping I could take a short rest before making my way into town. You won't even notice my presence," as he said this, Ken moved over to the small apple tree resting opposite the house and leaned his weight against it. Takeru merely shook his head as he hefted the small watering can into his hands and proceeded to walk around his newly planted fields, giving each individual plant a short spray.  
  
It was nearly an hour later when Takeru was finished with his watering and with that done, Takeru decided to do some exploring in the nearby forest. The first thing Takeru noticed as he entered the forest was the presence of an older girl, watching the nearby river pass by. He moved over to her side and lightly tapped her on the shoulder, causing the girl to jump up in fright. "W-Who the heck are you? Don't sneak up on someone like that! You could have given me a heart attack." "Gomen.... I just wanted to introduce myself. My names Takeru and I just moved into the farm across the road. Pleased to meet you." "Oh! So you're the one that moved into that old dilapidated farmhouse. I am surprised that someone as young as you would take on such a task. Especially in a city like ours. I tell you, if we lose any more money... this place could all be gone," With this, the girl turned back to the river, seemingly captured by the thought. "Gomen... I didn't quite catch your name there...." "Oh! Good lord how rude of me! My names Sora and I work in the local inn. Nice to met you Takeru-san." Takeru stood there for a few more minutes before realizing any more of a conversation would be useless. He sighed softly as he made his way across the small hilled area towards a hot spring.  
  
As Takeru wandered the area, he suddenly found himself being tripped by a rather malicious tree root. He gave a startled yelp as he landed roughly. After taking a few moments to collect his now scattered thoughts, Takeru looked around on the ground near him, hoping to find the root that tripped him and destroy it viciously. If only I had my axe with me... As Takeru searched for the offending root, his eyes where drawn to a small patch of blue flowers that where growing around the tree. The plants seemed to give off a calming glow as he looked at them. He noticed that two of the flowers seemed much larger then any of the others. I guess those two must be mature, Takeru thought as he reached out and gave them a gentle tug. To his surprise, he found that the flowers where in fact connected and that they came up quite easily. " hese might come in handy," He said to no one in particular as he shoved the item carefully into his pack.  
  
Takeru whistled softly as he continued his short trek up the hillside. He soon came to a small clearing with a few trees surrounding it and a lack with a small island in the middle. He sighed as he watched the river slowly flow around the small island to fall off into a waterfall, supplying water to the farms below. Continuing onward, Takeru came to a small bridge hung over the river. He crossed quickly, hesitating only once when the bridge gave a soft squeaking noise underneath. Hurrying along, Takeru came to an odd place. The entire area was surrounded by naturally growing wild flowers, save for the exact center, in which stood a tall tree. Takeru went over to the tree and curiously poked at it. The old wood seemed to be like metal as it resisted all attempts at prying and or pushing. Finally Takeru gave up in frustration, picked two of the wild flowers, then left with the intent of heading into town.  
  
---------(Several minutes later)---------  
  
Takeru wound his way along the small streets as he worked through the midday sun. It had already begun to get slightly warm in the surrounding area, and Takeru could feel the slight sheen of perspiration that dotted his forehead. As he marched onward, Takeru came up to the library. Maybe they would know what kind of flower this thing is, Takeru thought as he brought out the small twin blue flower. He decided to try his luck, and entered the small building.  
  
The room he entered smelled of old pages, and well-worn leather. He marveled at the various stacks of books surrounding the walls of the room as he searched for any life. As he was about to leave he heard a small sneezing noise come from a particularly high stack of books. Smiling softly, Takeru stole around the stack, hoping to surprise whoever was on the other side. As he leapt forth, he instantly recognized the small boy who had plowed over him only yesterday. Iori took one look at the leaping figure before him and shrieked at the top of his lungs, flailing an arm out and accidentally toppling the stack of books he had been organizing. Takeru chuckled softly, as he pulled the struggling boy out from under the piles of books. "Gomen Iori-san.... I just thought I would come see how you where doing, and see if you could tell me about something I just found."  
  
After regaining his former composure, Iori turned deep, intelligent eyes towards Takeru. "And just what did you find Takeru-san?" The young male asked as he looked his older counterpart up and down. Takeru produced the twin flowers from behind his back and smiled inwardly when he saw the reaction of the younger boy. Iori's eyes light up as he saw the product Takeru held. "T-those are blue grass flowers... They're used in medicine production, and can be sold for a tidy sum. We have been in a severe shortage lately as the one plant we knew off seemed to dry up a few days ago.... wherever did you find those?" "Well, I think I will keep that my own lil' secret... but, since I really don't have any use for this and you seem so excited by it, why don't you take it Iori-chan?" "Y-you mean I could keep it? Wow... Domo Takeru-sama... I didn't think I would ever get to study something like this! " "Well, let me make a deal with you, every time I see one of the flowers blooming, I will bring you at least one sample, while I sell the other ripened plants okay?" "You've got a deal Taker-san! A-and... thanks for the gift," whispered a now blushing Iori as he tucked the small plant away into a pack of his own. Takeru spent the next three hours, searching the library, learning about the local flora and fauna.  
  
Takeru gave a meek wave goodbye as he finally left his new friend. He hated leaving so early but he still had some rudimentary chores to do on the farm, including some more clearing of the weeds/rocks that littered the fields. Takeru looked back as he noticed Iori watching him from the sole window next to his desk. Iori gave a quick wave before returning to the paper he was writing on. I wonder why he seemed so touched by the gift... oh well, at least I have made one friend here.   
  
---------(One hour later)---------  
  
Whipping the small sheen of sweat from his brow, Takeru looked up from the large area of powdered stone he had created. He watched as the sun shown brightly down on the land as it made its progress towards the nearby ocean. He smiled as he got a sudden idea. Packing up a few pieces of corn he had saved from his lunch, Takeru left his farm at a short jog, turning down the path and making a bee line for the poultry farm.  
  
Takeru chuckled softly as the various chickens surged towards him at the sight of the few kernels of corn he had. They formed a small circle around him, clucking contently as he tossed a few pieces of corn out at a time. As Takeru continued to enjoy the evening feeding, he failed to notice a short red haired man sneaking up behind him. Takeru nearly jumped out of his skin, as Koushirou's hand landed onto his back. "Giving the girls a night snack, ne?" Koushirou asked quietly as he turned Takeru around. Takeru was relieved to find the young man smiling instead of angry. "Hai, I thought that since I had some kernels left over from lunch I would stop by and see if they wanted a lil' extra tonight. Everything all right Koushirou san? I saw Mimi running off a little earlier." "Hmmm, yeah, she ran off yesterday when we had a fight and she still isn't speaking to me. I thought that by now she would have calmed down but... wait... how did you know our names?" "Well, Mayor Thomas was showing me around the village yesterday and he told me just about everyone's names. I thought that I might be able to help you with Mimi though.... is there anything I could do?" "Well... maybe if you could find her for me? I think she went off into the mountains a little while ago and.... it's nearly time for dinner so I am a little bit worried. Do you think you could go look for me? Her favorite path is right behind the farm here," Koushirou pointed along a small dirt path that seemed to wind its way towards the mountains. Takeru simply nodded as he threw the last few kernels at the chickens and took of towards the mountain.  
  
The pathway lead slowly up a hill, towards a small shack. As Takeru moved his eyes caught a hint of blue off to the side. He immediately ducked down searching the ground, hoping to find another set of the strange flowers that had so impressed Iori earlier. His search was soon rewarded as he found another set of the strange plants growing off of the corner of the small shed. Takeru quickly scooped up the plant before turning off to try and find the young girl.  
  
As he walked he suddenly recognized the area he was in. He watched as the all to familiar stream wafted along next to him. As he listened to the stream burble along, his ears caught another faint sound. He moved quickly, hoping his ears had not been inaccurate, as he crashed through the underbrush. Finally, he came to the edge of the waterfall, and the sight he had been looking for.  
  
Mimi was clearly quite upset, as he shoulders hunched softly and she sobbed into her hands. She was also clearly ignoring her surroundings, as Takeru was able to come along side her before she even noticed that he was there. Takeru gently pulled the still sobbing Mimi towards him, and gave her a gentle hug to try and stop her tears. The girl looked up quickly in shock as she realized that someone had come up while she was crying. "Oh.... hello... sorry if I didn't notice you at first..." "It's okay. You were clearly thinking about something else. I hope it isn't something too bad, since Koushirou did send me down here to come find you...."  
  
"No... it's just that... well, I am kind of mad at him." "Will you tell me why Mimi-san?" "Well, yesterday we got in this big fight since he was yelling at me for leaving the chicken coup unlocked... which lead to one of our chickens... who's name was Pon by the way, to be killed by a stray dog. I really never meant for it to happen but.... Kou just wouldn't stop screaming about how it was my entire fault, and how I shouldn't have been so careless and everything. Sometimes.... sometimes I think he likes those chickens more than me!" Takeru held the young girl as tears once again flooded her eyes. He continued to stay like this for another hour while the young girl tried to compose herself. Finally, Mimi straightened herself, and kissed Takeru on the cheek, "Thanks for helping me... oh... I never really caught you're name? " "It's Takeru. I moved into the farm next to yours." "Ahhh! That would explain all the noise I heard there today. It sounded like someone was crushing rocks with a hammer," With this exclamation, Mimi turned and left.  
  
"Well, if I had anything better wouldn't you think I would use it?" Takeru asked the air as he lowered his head, and made his way back home. 


	3. Blue Grass Grows, Rain Drops Flow, And V...

Takeru woke early the next morning and as he began his new morning ritual of fetching the kerosene stove and fixing his modest breakfast, wondered at the sudden absence of birds outside. What puzzled him more was the fact that Pata had wormed his way into the shack via a small hole at the east end of the building. Bending down, Takeru picked the small ball of fluff up and gently stroked the shivering dog's fur. He noticed the slight dampness immediately and deducted that a rainstorm must have come on during the night. "Gomen Pata-chan.... I forgot to look at the weather report and see if it was going to rain," he told the small animal as he placed it onto the small rug covering the floor.  
  
As he moved around the building, preparing for the days chores ahead, Takeru took stock of his few belongings, searching for either a nice hat or an umbrella to keep him at least marginally dry. He finally found an old worn umbrella that he had forgotten he had packed and hefted its small weight onto his shoulder. He walked outside, facing the slightly bad weather bravely, in an attempt to gain a day on the ongoing struggle against the weeds and rocks that continued to infest his farm. He scanned the area closely, looking for anything that might be wrong after the storm. As he searched, he noticed that several of his plants had already grown to fruition. Christ! I only planted those a few days ago... They're already done? Well, I guess I should harvest the turnips now then, He thought with a sigh as he moved the umbrella from over head and decided to rely on his white hat to keep the rain from water logging him.  
  
Takeru moved from field to field, picking the large vegetables quickly, and stuffing them three at a time into his pack. Good Lord I need something better then this pack! I can only do one field at a time, and even at that only about a third of the field at a time. He moved in silence as he concentrated on getting all of the mature vegetables he could. Finally after what seemed like his thirtieth trip, Takeru had managed to carry every turnip to the collection bin, and had arranged them so that the bin would close. "Now I only have to wait till pick up at five tonight before getting my money," Takeru said to the ever present non-existent person he seemed to converse with regularly.  
  
The day stretched out before Takeru as he realized he could not do much work in these conditions without making himself deathly ill, and he also could not do any reclamation today. He sighed bitterly as he moved away from his farm and towards the mountains. As he reached the now familiar pond under the waterfall, he noticed Sora's absence. "Guess she took today off too..." He moved over to the pool and watched the water ripple as the raindrops splashed futilely into the pool. Takeru shook his head gently as he racked his brain for an idea as to what to do with himself today. As he turned around, a flash of blue once again caught Takeru's attention. What... do you mean they've already grown back, His mind wondered as he fell to his knees and scooped the small plant into his hands. While remarkably smaller then the day before, this plant too was already at it's full fruition, and Takeru took a few moments to marvel at the fact that the plant could grow so quickly before stashing it into his pack.  
  
After wandering around for a few more moments, Takeru came upon a small batch of bamboo growing alongside the hot springs. He wondered if he would be able to collect some of the hard vegetable as he took out his ever- present knife. He realized that the roots at the top most section where much more flexible /cutable as his knife easily cut through the substance. He marveled at its sturdiness while stuffing this too into his pack. I should check that other medicine grass plant... maybe it's grown too, He thought as he began to make his way towards it. Then he realized that he no longer had any room for anything inside his pack, and not wanting to risk damaging the plant further through excess manipulation, Takeru turned towards home, vowing to return for more of the plant.  
  
---------(Several soggy days later)---------  
  
Takeru marveled at the steady rain that continued to dot the land. Over the past week he had managed to gain a few more packets of seed from the turnips he had harvest, and now he looked out over the few rows of plants scattered around his farm. Three cabbage patches, four patches of turnips, and three groups of cucumbers.... at least that should last me for the next few weeks. Especially since the turnips will be ripe in only a few more days. He sighed softly as he watched the farm fill with water. The stream nearby had already begun to overflow, and some of the animals form the mountains had evacuated to higher ground. He slogged his way back over to his home.  
  
He sighed as he began to move away from his rain-drenched farm, and slowly made his way through the streets of the small village. He watched as the several residents bustled about, trying to avoid as much of the rain as they could. He watched as Daisuke ran along the pavement, scrambling towards the local church. He decided he might as well see what the "odd" Pastor was really like and so, he followed Daisuke into the large building. He shivered softly as the rain slowly dripped off of his body and pooled onto the floor below him.  
  
Takeru scanned the large hall, and immediately noticed that the only people there where a man with a black shirt, obviously the pastor, And Daisuke himself. Takeru slowly made his way along the rows of pews until he reached Dai's side. After getting the young man's attention, Takeru slid into the pew next to him. "Umm, Hi. My name's Takeru. I heard from Doug and Sora that you're Daisuke, the boy that has the permanent room at their inn. I just kind of wanted to introduce myself." "H-Hello Takeru-san... I don't really know why you are even talking to me.... I am kind of a screw up.... ever since I came here I have been coming to this church, and trying to find something that makes my life worthwhile... yet I can never seem to find anything... plus there's my family... but I don't really want to talk about it."  
  
Takeru only stared at the young teen next to him and tried to figure out why he would say such self damming things about himself when he was clearly too young to have real regrets about life. Takeru shook his head while leaning back against the pew's cushioned back. "Well... I don't really know what I want to do either Dai... I think I might like to stay here but... then again all of my family lives elsewhere," Takeru noticed that Dai flinched softly when he mentioned his own family and mentally tucked a small note to investigate further into his brain. "I just think that maybe we both need some more time to figure out what exactly is going on in our lives," With this Takeru slowly stood and offered Dai his hand. "Come on Daisuke... why don't we go to Doug's and I'll buy you a nice hot lunch? " With a quick nod from Dai the two men left the church.  
  
---------(Three days later)---------  
  
Takeru looked out at his field. He nodded slowly as he crossed the entire field, looking over each nearly-ripe plant, and taking stock of which plants he intended to send to his new friends, and which ones he intended to ship out. At the same time, he wandered over to a special row of turnips he was growing explicitly for the Mayor who had stopped by the previous day to ask him to grow them. He smiled as he noticed that three of the turnips seemed to be doing extremely well. As he continued to wander the farm, Takeru failed to notice a stealthy figure enter his farm, and sneak slowly towards his mailbox. The short figure withdrew a package from under its clothing and stuffed the rather large package into the mailbox before dashing away.  
  
Almost as soon as the first figure left, a considerably taller figure snuck out of the woods and delivered another package. Turning, this figure sneaked away, but not before tripping over his own feet and falling with a thud onto the ground. The noise drew Takeru's attention, and he looked over to the now filled mailbox. Shrugging, Takeru made his way slowly over to the box and removed both packages.  
  
He hefted the larger one first, looking at the small tag attached. It was tied to the package with intricate care, and on it was a small flowing script. "Happy Valentines day Takeru-kun... I thought I would send this in appreciation for all of the samples you have dropped off in the last few months. Also... I kind of just wanted to thank you for coming by so much. Most of the people here ignore my father's library so you are really my only companion throughout the day. Thanks again... Iori" Takeru shook his head gently as he opened the package to reveal several freshly baked cookies within. His face grew a slight crimson as he remembered what the TV news announcer had said about this being the traditional day of proving love by giving people one liked cookies. He pushed the thought away quickly however as he fought down the blush that had crept into his cheeks.  
  
The second package was less beautiful, yet none the less equally large. He hefted the heavy object carefully and read the tag attached. It bore only the name of the sender, and read in simple block letters, "Motimiya Daisuke". Once again, Takeru found himself forcing down a sharp blush as he found another batch of cookies inside the brown wrapper. He quickly carried the sweets into his house and placed them onto his small table as he paced the room in wonder.  
  
A/N: Couples have been started even though it's only spring..... And I am actually thinking of breaking the rules a lil' bit and making it an Iokerusuke. Tell me in a review if that sounds reasonable. Either way Takeru will continue to string them both along. 


End file.
